Letter to City of Sac – ECOS support for Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant

On October 27, 2021, ECOS sent a letter to the City of Sacramento in support of its application for a Sustainable
Transportation Planning Grant for its 15-Minute Neighborhoods Plan.

Dear Mr. Chan,

The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) supports the City of Sacramento in its application for Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant for its 15-Minute Neighborhoods Plan.

We served on the Mayors’ Climate Change Commission’s Transportation Technical Advisory Committee. As you know, the prioritization of active transportation, then transit and shared mobility, and then zero-emission vehicles was unanimously adopted. This prioritization, coupled with housing around transit, would reduce GHG emissions, increase affordable housing with good local and regional access to shops and jobsites, improve air quality, and improve physical safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

Over half of Sacramento’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) are from the transportation sector. The City’s proposed 15-Minute Neighborhoods Plan will set the stage for increased transit use, walking and biking — travel modes that are essential to reduce GHG and meet our climate goals.

Sacramento’s topography is relatively flat and its neighborhoods are interconnected – these are two necessary but not sufficient preconditions for a large shift to walking and biking for daily errands and for job commutes. Neighborhood studies show that slowing driving is a big concern.

The City’s 15-Minute Neighborhoods Plan will calm the entire network of neighborhood streets to make comfortable places to walk, bike, and scoot. Calmer streets will encourage more trips by active transportation, helping the city to meet its goals around sustainability, speed reduction for cars and trucks, community health, and thriving local businesses. The City’s 15-minute Neighborhoods Plan will further the following:

• The City’s Climate Action Plan;
• The City’s commitment to equitable processes by engaging neighborhood communities about their needs;
• Economic vitality of our retail and restaurants within and next to neighborhoods;
• Affordable and efficient access to jobsites, parks, and schools.

Sincerely,

Ralph Propper
ECOS President

Click here to view the letter.

Stockton Blvd Plan Events Oct 23 and 28

The Stockton Blvd Plan is a partnership between the City of Sacramento, community members, and organizations to transform Stockton Blvd into a thriving corridor that expands opportunities for, and supports the cultures of, existing residents and small businesses while accommodating growth and centering racial equity.


October 23

A community celebration with food and fun will be held on October 23. Attendees will have a chance to see what other community members said about the strategies that were gathered from the previous events and recent surveys (visit the Stockton Blvd Events page for more information). Other resources will be available to visitors.

Click here to register.



October 28

Harvest Festival
Join us for food, raffle prizes, and a discussion about the future of Stockton Blvd. Along with English, we will also have materials and staff available for Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Spanish, Hmong, and Vietnamese speakers.
Date: Thursday, October 28th
Time: 5:30-7pm
Location: Fruitridge Community Collaborative, 4625 44th St, Sacramento


Click here for more info.

Local Transition to Zero Emission Vehicles – Join Us Oct 7

ECOS TAQCC Committee, Thursday Oct. 7th

Please join ECOS’ Transportation, Air Quality & Climate Change (TAQCC) Committee for its regular monthly meeting, on Thursday, October 7th. Details about joining this meeting using “Zoom” are provided below.

A four-agency partnership in the Sacramento Area is moving forward on a transition to zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the region, based on the need to improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gases, abate exposure to toxics, adapt to a warming planet, and promote efficient mobility. The four agencies have been working together to create a regional ZEV Deployment Strategy to help address these environmental concerns especially in under-resourced communities. Raef Porter (Program Manager, Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District) will describe this nearly $1 billion initiative, and Jofil Borja from Sacramento Regional Transit will provide details about SacRT’s program to convert its bus fleet to ZEVs — a major component of the ZEV deployment strategy. The other two members of the partnership are SACOG and SMUD.

The balance of the meeting will be devoted to updates on other active issues, such as deployment of neighborhood air quality monitors, Sacramento County Climate Action Plan, Climate Emergency Declarations, the proposed expansion of the CapCity bridge over the American River, and other topics raised by attendees.

When: Thursday, October 7th, 2021 at 6 pm
Where: Videoconference, hosted by Zoom
Link to join TAQCC Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85805612058
To phone in: 1-669 900 6833, Meeting ID: 858 0561 2058

Broadway Bridge DEIR: ECOS Comments

On August 23, 2021, ECOS submitted a comment letter on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Broadway Bridge in the City of Sacramento.

Below are our comments.

ECOS supports the concept of a bridge connecting Broadway in Sacramento to West Sacramento, near 15th Street. This should facilitate infill development near both sides of the Sacramento River and provide a connection between the two cities south of US 50. Development potential is especially promising on the West Sacramento side, since I-5 is not a barrier there. We encourage significant infill development, which would be facilitated by the removal of old facilities such as fuel storage tanks and the railroad tracks serving the Port of West Sacramento. Once a definitive alignment is selected and necessary property acquired, the bridge would serve as a vital link for transit, bicycles and auto traffic. As mixed-use development near the bridge increases (on both sides of the river), the number of pedestrians and bicyclists would also increase greatly.


Photo by Masha Raymers from Pexels

Proposed Elk Grove Station Virtual Community Open House – Aug 26, 5:30

Join the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission on August 26th from 5:30 to 7:00pm for a Virtual Community Open House to learn more about the proposed Elk Grove Station, ask questions, and provide your feedback.

The proposed Elk Grove Station is one of the six proposed stations that would be part of the Valley Rail Sacramento Extension Project which is a planned passenger rail service between Stockton and Sacramento. Register for the open house here: bit.ly/ElkGroveStation.